Skye and Reading 9 Kendram, Kilmaluag, Isle of Skye IV51 9UL 2 Whitby Drive, Reading, Berkehire RG1 5HW |
|
|||
 |
|
|
|
|
An autumnal week in Rome |
||
|
|
|
 |
||
|
|
|
Calendar Day 1 - 23 November 2015 Day 2 - 23 November 2015 Day 3 - 24 November 2015 Day 4 - 25 November 2015 Day 5 - 26 November 2015 Day 6 - 27 November 2015 |
Day 3 – Tuesday 24 November 2015 Vatican (part 2) We had booked to go on the guided tour of the Vatican Gardens today because the weather forecast was supposed to be good. Our research paid off, the forecast was correct and after yesterday's rain, today was all sunshine and blue skies.
Entrance to the Vatican Museum The tour of the gardens started at 11.00 so there was no rush to be up, dressed and breakfasted as there had been yesterday. Again, a nice walk to the Vatican and then confusion in the museum entrance hall of finding where we were supposed to meet. People everywhere, not many signs/notices etc It was noticeible during the day that we were 'out of season': sales point closed and boarded-up and no queing in cafes. It must be absolute chaos in 'high season' during the summer. Maintaining the Vatican's vast collection of art treasures must be an expensive task; in the museums' entrance we saw the scale of commercial side of raising money to pay for the upkeep - gifts, trinkets etc.
Eagle Fountain, Vatican Gardens.
Vatican Gardens.
View of St Peter's and Rome skyline from the Vatican Gardens. There were only about 15-20 in our tour party and while we were in the gardens we didn't see any other groups, so we almost felt as if we had the gardens to ourselves. The tour highlighted the personal aspects of the gardens, where individual popes had liked to walk and where they had put their personal stamp on the statues and seats. After about two hours walking we returned to the museums for a coffee and rest before tackling the art collections. A warning - there is so much to see and the signage is confusing, so do your homework! We spent over an hour wandering along corridors admiring paintings, statues, tapestries etc. At the end of our wanderings we still felt we had missed sections. Highlight of the tour was the Sistine Chapel. Again, we were conscious how much busier it would be in high season, we at least had room the wander around the Chapel and admire the walls and ceiling.
Ceiling in the Vatican Museums. Afterwards, by now knackered after between four and five hours on our feet we went back into the gardens, found a couple of chairs in the shade and relaxed for a while, reading up on all we had seen. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, stopping on the way in St Peter's Square to watch the late afternoon sun descending behind St Peter's. Back in the hotel we had another rest before going out for our meal. It was very reassuring to see a bottle of Tallisker on the bar in the hotel; jsut the thing for a weary traveller who has been on their feet all day.
Back at the hotel, the bar has Tallisker ready to serve to the weary traveller. |
|||
 |
||||
The Vatican Museums. |
||||
 |
||||
Late afternoon view of the Vatican Museums from the Vatican gardens. |
||||
|
|
|
|
|
